Future Hall of Famer and former Houston Rockets player Chris Paul announced his awkward retirement on February 13th. It puts a dampener on an already typically sodden “buyout market”. However, from a Rockets perspective, there’s an interesting case to be made for another buyout market point guard.
Who Should Rockets Be Targeting In The Buyout Market?
The Rockets’ Buyout Market Needs
Contenders usually use this time of year to pick up scraps of veteran depth. The most common purpose of such players is to eat up regular-season minutes, thus affording playoff rotation players extra rest. In particular, this can be necessary to cover for the injuries sustained during the arduous 82-game marathon. In point guard Fred VanVleet, the Rockets sustained injuries before the season even started.
The Rockets just skipped the trade deadline entirely with zero moves. As a result, the buyout market would seem to take on an elevated importance for them. Some Rockets fans certainly had an eye on Paul. Houston’s point guard situation remains precarious. Every new failed offensive set in crunch time or ugly game from the field for All-Star Alperen Sengun wobbles it further. The team has the second-lowest assist percentage in the NBA. The only easy shots they generate are off of offensive rebounds, and their best offensive rebounder is out for the season.
Based on the Houston front office’s recent track record, activity on the buyout market may be unlikely. But there are a few names floating around for consideration. Even though Paul is out, the market isn’t bereft of big-name point guard options either.
The Ball Could Be In Houston’s Court
Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former UCLA Bruins Lonzo Ball is introduced to the crowd as the team’s honorary captain for the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Rockets could look at Lonzo Ball. The 28-year-old six-foot-five playmaker was waived by the Utah Jazz after a salary-dump trade this deadline. Before that, Ball played 35 games this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in just 20.8 minutes per game. There’s a reason he wound up on the buyout market, though. He shot 30.1% from the field and 27.2% from three.
Unfortunately, Ball’s knee injuries seem to have significantly altered the trajectory of his career. He was completely sidelined for the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Since his return, he’s played only 70 games and has struggled badly shooting from the field. Arguably, with his current efficiency from deep, Ball is the last thing needed by an already short-ranged Rockets squad.
Why Rockets May Have Special Interest In Lonzo Ball
There is one particularly interesting wrinkle to a Ball-to-the-Rockets signing, though. Specifically, how Ball’s experience could be relevant to the Rockets’ cornerstone player and current point guard, Amen Thompson.
Fans may remember the saga of Ball’s unorthodox jumper from his days as a media mainstay with the Los Angeles Lakers. He shot 31.5% from three over his first two seasons and was lampooned for his unusual shooting form. Notably, however, from year three to year five, Ball shot 38.7% on 7.3 attempts per game. He played 153 games over that stretch. He never became the star that some had briefly envisioned, but Ball rebuilt his shot from the ground up to become an excellent pass-first point guard.
Thompson could do with some of that. The young defensive dynamo is currently shooting even worse from three this year (20.5%) than last year (27.5%). Without drastic changes, it seems unlikely that he will ever have a viable NBA jump shot. There is hope for him, though. His touch around the basket and from the free-throw line (78.5% in 2025-26) is evident.
Thompson’s form from three isn’t as glaringly broken as Ball’s was, but there’s a stiffness and discomfort to it that is clearly holding him back. Unless he commits to rebuilding his form, he won’t be able to space the floor the way required of modern NBA guards. Obviously, such a process would be an undertaking for the offseason, by which time Ball would likely no longer be with the team. Thompson could still pick Ball’s brain about his predicament in the meantime, and potentially overcome whatever resistance he has to the approach.
Would Lonzo Go Along With Rockets’ Ball-Game?
The Rockets would be competing with the Golden State Warriors to add Ball. The Denver Nuggets may also be interested and have the allure of serious title contention. Ball’s role with the Rockets wouldn’t necessarily appeal either. At least, not if he were just a bench mentor to Thompson. But Rockets head coach Ime Udoka certainly has no qualms about playing non-shooters. The rotation would undoubtedly benefit from some playmaking pizazz, as well.
Ball may not be the most enticing free agent target for Rockets fans, but nobody on the buyout market ever is. In a season that is looking increasingly like a character-building exercise, rather than a serious shot at contending, a signing now that could benefit the Rockets later might be most appropriate. In the meantime, as far as Houston’s hustle and defense-first culture is concerned, you couldn’t find better buy-in on the buyout market than Ball.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images